Hornets Sports & Entertainment announced today that the organization intends to launch its own NBA D-League team with the hope of beginning play for the 2016-17 season. The franchise today is sending an RFP to seven cities throughout the Carolinas seeking the best home for the D-League club, which would be owned and operated by HSE. Cities receiving the RFP include Asheville, Fayetteville, Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina, as well as Charleston, Columbia and Greenville, South Carolina. “This is a very exciting time for us,” said Hornets Sports & Entertainment President & COO Fred Whitfield. “The decision to take steps toward launching our own D-League club is yet another example of our owner’s long-term commitment to our franchise and continues to show his willingness to invest in the resources needed to improve our basketball team. A D-League team would also allow us to continue to expand the Hornets brand regionally by having a presence in an additional market.”

The Charlotte Hornets unveiled a new basketball court design Thursday that features a fierce-looking hornet logo at center court. It’s the final step in the team’s brand identity transformation from the Bobcats to the Hornets. The hard maple court also includes a beehive cell pattern stained into the wood, a teal border and purple free throw lanes. The baselines have “Charlotte” and “Hornets” written in the team’s font. There’s a pair of Buzz City logos inside the 3-point line on both ends of the court. “When we look at our primary logo in the center, it depicts how we want to play as a team with the fierceness, the tenacity and a sense of protect this place,” Hornets president and CEO Fred Whitfield said.